Headshots

Steven will be graduating this May and so we have been getting him ready to apply to Grad schools. There are 5 schools that he is applying for: University of California San Diego, University of California Irvine, Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Yale School of Drama, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Since he is an acting major he actually has to audition for all of these schools, and have his resume and Headshot. Steven's most current headshot that he had was 2 years old so it wasn't a very current picture of him. So, at the beginning of December we had his retaken. There were SO many good ones to choose from that we had a hard time picking, but we eventually decided on this one. Its one of the few pictures Steven actually likes of himself, so I am hoping that it gives him the confidence to do well at his auditions.
His first audition for RSAMD was this weekend in New York and they actually told him that he is definitely in their Talent pool of people that they're looking for. They should let him know in about 7-10 days if he got in. He also has 2 auditions scheduled on Feb. 6 in San Fransisco and 2 more on Feb. 12Th and 13Th in San Diego so he is really busy right now.
We are very excited to find out which schools he gets into and to make that decision which will affect our little family for the next few years. Its both exciting and scary, but we're looking forward to this new change in our lives. Plus, its really nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We will keep everyone updated about which ones accept him as we get more information.

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we weren't able to go anywhere because Steven was required to work on Black Friday. That just didn't leave a whole lot of traveling time so we decided to have our own Thanksgiving at home. Steven's brother Evan and his wife Leslie along with our friends Tasha and Eric weren't able to go anywhere either, so we invited them to have dinner with us.
We had all the trimmings, including the Turkey that Evan made, and the meat pastries that Eric made. It was all delicious but my favorite food this year was Steven's Sweet Potatoes that he made using his Mom's recipe. So Yummy!
This was the first year that I went into the Holiday determined not to gain any weight, so I took the time to measure out my food. It was a process but it was totally worth it because I got to enjoy all of my favorite foods and I ended up LOSING a pound and a half. Is it too corny to say "Yay me" right now? Oh well.. corny or not.. YAY ME! =)
After dinner we played the new Mario Bros for the Wii that Tasha brought over. It is so much fun to play, and since 4 people can play it at the same time everybody got to join in. Rhys even got to take a turn at it and he was pretty good for a 3 year old.
So, we're sad that we didn't get to see the rest of our families on Thanksgiving, but really happy that we got to be with so many people that we love.

Christmas Show

Every year Salt Lake has a "Christmas Show" which is just a huge center filled with hundreds of booths. Each booth has all sorts of different things like different foods and treats to buy, cooking supplies, toys for kids, make-up, jewelry, games, clothes, anything you can think of. It goes on for 3 full days. The idea is to give you ideas for Christmas presents. My Aunts and Grandma go every year and it has been a new tradition for my Mom to fly down and go with them. They make a huge thing out of it. They show up first thing in the morning and stay until it closes both on Friday and on Saturday. This year Kati and I were able to make it up and go with them. It was SO much fun. I enjoyed looking at everything, but I enjoyed getting to see my Mom the most.
I had Rhys and Gavin with me that first day, but the second day my sweet cousin Jake watched Rhys for me. Gavin was a little angel the entire time which of course makes the whole experience a lot more fun. I was really sad when the weekend was over. I didn't actually buy anything for myself this year because we really didn't have the money for it, but I got lots of ideas for next year and hopefully I'll be able to go again and actually spend money this time. (Oh, I'm sure Steven loves that thought) =)

Halloween

We decided to carve our pumpkin the day before Halloween because Steven was going to be able to do it with us if we waited until Halloween day. It was very important that Steven be there since its his job to scoop out all the gooey insides of the pumpkin. =) Rhys went on a field trip with his preschool class to the pumpkin patch and picked out our pumpkin himself, so we let him pick the design for us to use to carve the pumpkin. He had so much fun helping Daddy and was very intrigued with the whole process. I'm excited for when he's old enough to carve one himself.

Gavin sat with me while we watched the carving being done.

As you can see, Rhys chose the Ghosts

That night we went to the Institute Trunk or Treat with my sister Kati and her friends. It was so fun for Rhys to walk around showing off his costume, and all the College kids thought that both him and Gavin were adorable. There was even a dance and Rhys got some of Kati's friends to take him on the Dance floor. He had a really fun time.

Halloween Morning I set up an appointment to get my haircut. It had been bothering me for a while, so I asked Steven to pick out a new style for me. I was really surprised when he chose the A-line cut, but he was really excited about it. So, I chopped all my hair off. I LOVE it and am actually wondering what took me so long to do it in the first place. =)

This year for Halloween Rhys went as a Vampire. He wasn't a specific Vampire, however, Steven was adament that people not think he is Edward from Twilight. (Steven is NOT a Twilight fan) So, I told people he was Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead. =) Gavin was too little to fit into the Dinosaur costume that Rhys wore his first Halloween, so we got him a new Frog costume to wear. He was adorable also and everybody thought they both were adorable.

Its a tradition for my Sister Kati to come with us Trick or Treating since she has come every year since she was in school. But, this is the first year that Steven has gotten to come too, so it was a real treat. Our friends Kaitlin and Matt were also able to join us so we had quite the fun time this year.

Gavin only made it part of the night before he fell asleep.

Our Town

Right after MacBeth was finished, Steven started rehearsing for "Our Town." He had a really small walk on role as Professor Willard, but he got quite the reaction from the crowd. He got a clapping exit 4 of the 6 nights they performed it. (Not that he was counting) =) Steven and I have started calling it his "cameo" role because it was such a funny thing for him to do.
Now, if you're wondering why I'm even bothering posting a blog about this since it wasn't that big of a part... well I just really like the picture of him as the Professor and wanted an excuse to post it. So sue me. =)

MacBeth

The first show that SUU put on this year was MacBeth. They performed it on the Adam's Theatre, which is the outside mini Globe Theatre that the Shakespeare Festival uses during the Summer. Steven was cast in the roll of Banqou, who is MacBeth's best friend. It was a really fun part for Steven because he had a fight scene, a death scene, and he got to use the trap doors on the stage which is something he's always been wanting to do.
He was also on the Costume commitee and was in charge of designing and making the armour for the guys to wear in some of their scenes. It was absolutely amazing how much time and effort he put into this production, but it was worth it because the final result was breathtaking. Because of sickness and vacations I was only able to see the show once, but it is possibly my favorite show that Steven has ever done so far.
He was also nominated for an Irene Ryan for his part as Banqou. This is a huge honor because only 2 actors are picked from the play and it was a huge ensemble. Normally he would go and compete with other Irene Ryan winners for a chance to compete in Washington, D.C. but he won't be able to this year because his Grad School Auditions are at the same time. He will still be able to put his nomination on his resume, so its still an amazing thing.

This is Steven with his quick change crew. After he died they had 2 minutes to put him in his "ghost" make-up so he could go haunt MacBeth. They did a really good job.

Some of the guys in the show

Banqou and MacBeth wearing the armour that Steven made.

I just like this one of Steven.

Ghost Banqou and a Wraith.
This show wasn't creepy at all! =)

Trip to Portland!

My brother-in-law Shane (And Steven's best friend) had wanted to see MacBeth since Steven started telling him how cool it was going to be. So, Shane and my twin Sister Kimmie were planning on coming down to visit and see the show. We were really excited because Kimmie had a little girl named Aftynn in July and we were anxious to see each others new babies. But, sadly Kimmie wasn't able to get the time off of her managing job and so she couldn't come down. Since she was more sad about not seeing myself and the kids then about not seeing MacBeth, we decided to do a spouse swap. Shane ended up flying down himself so that he could visit Steven and see the show, and Rhys, Gavin, and I flew up to Portland to see Kimmie, Aftynn, and Mazie.
We were really worried that we weren't going to make it because Rhys was so sick a few days before we went and he gave it to me. I ended up being hospitalized the day before we left so that I could get an IV to help with my dehydration. I felt much better after that and we were going to go full steam ahead. Then, at about 3:00 in the morning on the day we were schedule to leave Rhys was throwing up again. So after a lot of thought and prayer and constantly asking Rhys how his tummy was feeling (It was feeling happy) we decided to go for it. The flight was actually pretty good considering I had a 2 month old and a 3 year old all by myself. It would have been better if I hadn't been worried about Rhys the whole time, but he ended up making it there with no incidences.
When we finally got to Portland I found out that one of my suitcases was lost. We had to stay and fill out paperwork, but as we were walking out to the car we got a call telling us that it was found. They ended up still giving us a $50 flight voucher for our trouble, so that was really nice. It was SO fun seeing Kimmie and the girls. Aftynn was such a cute little girl, and we were surprised to see that sometime her and Gavin looked surprisingly alike.
We ended up taking the kids to get their pictures taken together and they turned out really cute. Not bad for 2 toddlers and 2 new babies. However, that night Rhys ended up throwing up again. The next morning he was back to his old self again so we went about having fun.
I don't know if Rhys just spread his sickness or if Kimmie would have gotten it herself, but on Monday she ended up getting sick and had to spend most of the day in bed. I tried really hard to take care of the 4 kids myself, but it was not easy with 2 of them being so little so my mom ended up driving down that day to help me. She had planned on coming down the next day with my older sister Lolly and her two kids, but with the sickness going around Lolly decided to stay home. We were sad not to see them, but it was really nice having my mom there to help.
On Tuesday Kimmie was feeling much better so we got to go have lunch and do some shopping with the kids. It was a great way to spend our last day together.
We had to leave at 9:00 in the morning to get to the airport on time, and by the time we got on the plane, flew back to Vegas, and then drove home it was 10:00 at night. It was a LONG day, but totally worth it to see Kimmie. It was quite the adventure and I'm glad that I got to share it with her. =)

Gavin's Baby Blessing

This year we blessed Gavin on Sept 27, 2009. It was such a neat experience and a lot of family was able to make it down. My sister Kati and my Brother-in-Law Evan and his wife were already here. Plus both Steven and my parents were able to make it and my Brother Scott with his wife and daughter. We also had about 20 of Steven's Theatre friends that were able to come so it was quite the crowd. We were sad not all of our family could make it but we know they were there in spirit.
Steven gave Gavin an amazing blessing which we were able to record. I have since typed it out so if anyone is interested in reading it, just let me know. We had all the men in our family plus our friend Matt Clegg in the circle.
After the blessing everyone came back to our place for some lunch and cake. I have never had so much food prepared in my life, but most of it got eaten. I was very happy about that. All in all, it was a wonderful day and everything that I had hoped it would be.

Update!

Okay, it has been a really long time since I have updated this so I'm going to do it in steps. I will try and get it all in, but please forgive me if I miss something. So, look forward to seeing more info soon. =)